INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee has selected the 16 teams that will be participating in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site. The regional winners advance to the Men’s Frozen Four. The entire championship uses a single-elimination format.
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Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of the six conferences. The remainder of the field is selected at large.
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St. Cloud State University was the No. 1 overall seed. The other No. 1 seeds, in order, include the University of Notre Dame, Cornell University and The Ohio State University. The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year’s championship are as follows:
West Regional, March 23-24
Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Friday, March 23, 4 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU/WatchESPN No. 1 St. Cloud State (25-8-6) vs. No. 4 Air Force (22-14-5)
Friday, March 23, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN3/WatchESPN
No. 2 Minnesota State Mankato (29-9-1) vs. No. 3 Minnesota Duluth (21-16-3)
Saturday, March 24, 9 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/WatchESPN West Regional Championship
Midwest Regional, March 24-25
PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Saturday, March 24, 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU/WatchESPN No. 1 Ohio State (24-9-5) vs. No. 4 Princeton (19-12-4)
Saturday, March 24, 7 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN3/WatchESPN No. 2 Denver (22-9-8) vs. No. 3 Penn State (18-14-5)
Sunday, March 25, 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU/WatchESPN Midwest Regional Championship
Northeast Regional, March 24-25
DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Saturday, March 24, 1 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNews/WatchESPN No. 1 Cornell (25-5-2) vs. No. 4 Boston U. (21-13-4)
Saturday, March 24, 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNews/WatchESPN No. 2 Michigan (20-14-3) vs. No. 3 Northeastern (23-9-5)
Sunday, March 25, 4 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/WatchESPN Northeast Regional Championship
East Regional, March 23-24
Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Friday, March 23, 3 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/WatchESPN No. 1 Notre Dame (25-9-2) vs. No. 4 Michigan Tech (22-16-5)
Friday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU/WatchESPN No. 2 Providence (23-11-4) vs. No. 3 Clarkson (23-10-6)
Saturday, March 24, 6 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU/WatchESPN East Regional Championship
Men’s Frozen Four, April 5 and 7
Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Thursday, April 5, 6 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/WatchESPN (order of games TBD) West Regional Champion vs. Midwest Regional Champion
Northeast Regional Champion vs. East Regional Champion
Saturday, April 7, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/WatchESPN National Championship
The following conferences and teams received automatic qualification:
Atlantic Hockey Association – Air Force
Big Ten Conference – Notre Dame
ECAC Hockey – Princeton
Hockey East Association – Boston U.
National Collegiate Hockey Conference – Denver Western Collegiate Hockey Association – Michigan Tech
To purchase tickets for all the regional sites and the Frozen Four in addition to all information about the championship, log on to www.NCAA.com/FrozenFour.
